Public health nutrition professionals teach communities around the world how to improve their overall level of health and battle diseases and other conditions using nutrition and physical activity. This career choice is an excellent one for those who wish to promote better well-being in a natural and easy to implement way, as you will be improving the lives of other people by showing them how proper nutrition and taking care of one’s body translates into better overall general health.
These professionals will use nutrition based science to form solutions to different health related problems, as they also promote different policies that support the proper nutrition of different populations.
Featured MPH Programs for Nutrition
The top 5 schools and programs for obtaining a public health nutrition degree are:
Liberty University Online
Master of Public Health – Nutrition
Summary
This master’s degree program provides students with a master’s degree in public health specializing in nutrition, allowing graduates to use their skills to find employment in a variety of different fields. This entirely online master’s course is designed for working professionals who wish to advance their career, and this allows for optimal flexibility with a student’s studies. The program is comprised of a total of 42 credit hours with up to 9 credit hours eligible to be transferred in from another school.
Tuition
The tuition for this program costs around $490 per credit hour.
University of Minnesota School of Public Health
Public Health Nutrition MPH
Summary
The public health nutrition program offered by University of Minnesota’s School of Public health allows students to gain a master of public health degree with special emphasis on the nutritional aspects of public health. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to assess public health concerns and address them using nutrition and exercise based science for a more natural approach to overall wellness.
This program can be completed on either a full or part-time basis, with the part-time program being particularly attractive to working adults looking to further their public health education in a specialized field.
Tuition
Residents of Minnesota will pay around $858 per credit to complete this program while non-residents will pay $1116.
Columbia University Teacher’s College
Master of Science: Nutrition and Public Health
Summary
The master of science in nutrition and public health program offered by Columbia University’s Teacher’s College is one that is fully approved and accredited, so students can rest assured that their academic efforts are being put to good use with a degree that will look attractive to future employers. The program prepares students to work in teaching, research, administrative, and directing roles in a variety of public health settings, with a special emphasis on using nutrition to combat and prevent health issues occurring around the world today.
A dietetic internship program is also available to provide hands-on experience to students in the field of diet and nutrition, and this internship may be taken in conjunction with several of the required courses.
Tuition
Tuition for this program is around $1,344 per credit point.
Oregon State University School of Biological and Population Health Sciences
Undergraduate Nutrition Bachelor of Science Program
Summary
This fully approved and accredited program is for undergraduate students who wish to get their bachelor of science degree in nutrition, and wish to work in a public health setting. Oregon State University offers 3 different majors options to allow students to study a nutritional field that interests them as they work towards their bachelor of science, and this also allows them to have specific knowledge of specialized nutrition fields.
Upon graduation, students are prepared to work in governmental, private, or public sectors either at home or around the globe, and their learning will allow them to solve community issues using their knowledge of basic public health and how it relates to a person’s level of nutrition.
Tuition
Per year, a resident of Oregon can be expected to pay around $8,538 to enroll in this program, while out of state students will pay $23,469.
Berkeley School of Public Health
Master of Public Health in Public Health Nutrition
Summary
This 2 year MPH program focuses on public health as it relates to nutrition, and full time students will graduate with the experience and academic foundation they need to implement their nutritional skills while solving public health problems around the world. A minimum of 48 credits is required to complete this program, and electives may be chosen from any department of Berkeley’s collection of schools.
Tuition
Graduate students completing this program at Berkeley can expect to pay around $5,610 per semester in tuition.
Selection Criteria for Public Health Nutrition Degree Programs
Accreditation
The quality of any public health program rests on the academic standards of the department that offers it. The qualifications of the faculty, the research and reference resources available, the subjects covered in the curriculum, the standards for administrative support and evaluation… these are all aspects of your degree program that you really want to know are nailed down.
For nutrition, that means accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) or the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). As the specialty accreditation agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education since in health and nutrition, these bodies look into the essential qualifications of each program and staff so you don’t have to.
Research
Public health nutrition is a field that is constantly evolving, and it’s evolving because of the hard work that instructors and students put into both statistical and on-the-ground research efforts. Our understanding of how nutrition impacts the health and wellness of both individuals and populations is shifted by broad-based, carefully coordinated studies of both food production processes and consumption patterns. We looked for schools that have cutting-edge, interesting projects that are advancing the state of knowledge in the field… and your own knowledge along with them.
Faculty
Although the accreditation process covers the basic skills and qualifications that programs must require of faculty, there’s plenty of room above that baseline for schools to distinguish themselves. We sought out programs who have faculty with genuine on-the-ground experience and expertise in the field who are active in making important contributions in both research and practice.
Cost
Although cost was not our primary consideration in developing this top picks list, it’s always something to look at when considering what school to pick for a public health degree with a nutrition concentration. So while we chose only schools that are the very best in the field, we let you know what the costs will look like so you can choose something that is not only excellent, but affordable.
Reputation
The top schools in public health don’t hide their light under a bushel; usually we’re not the only ones who have figured out they belong on lists like this. We consider the opinions of other popular third-party rankings, such as those from The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report, or the Economist. Chances are good that a school we’ve found at the top of the spectrum has also been well-reviewed by one or more of them.
All schools shown here have been contacted and informed of their inclusion on this list. Schools that do not wish to be featured are immediately removed. School names are the registered trademarks of their original owners. The use of any trade name or trademark does not imply any association with the school.
